When you're gone
by Seratiah The Noble
Summary: It's my first attempt at this. It's a little story of how Rinoa and Squall find eachother again.


"When you're gone."

By: Careless Dreamer

Game: Final Fantasy 8

She woke in a sudden rush. Sweat dripped down her face making her golden high lights stick to her face. It was that dream again. They had just beaten the sorceress and her beautiful 'Time Compression' had taken place. She remembered walking up to him lying on the ground. The first thought that entered her mind was he dead? She kept her cool and walked up closer to him.

"Squall…" she said.

No answer. The thought of him being dead ran through her head so much. She felt like holding him close and she did. The clouds parted and the sun shone brightly. As the clouds ran from the sun a beautiful field with flowers appeared. Then she bent down and kissed him. But in her dream he never woke up like he did in real life. Then it would flash over to the funeral. Selphie, Zell, Quistis, and Irvine where there. They were all crying over the loss of a companion and then she would wake up in tears.

She climbed out of bed to splash some water on her face and get ready for work. She used to live at Balamb Garden. But day after day it was the same thing. Quistis and Selphie where always being hit on by Irvine. Ellone was always talking to Headmaster Cid Cramer and Matron, his wife. Squall was practicing in the Garden training Center with Sefier. Rinoa always kept playing with Angelo keeping her skills up to date. This had kept up for a year and it drove her nuts. So she left. No one has seen her since. She's been living in Timber and works at the bar near the Desert train tracks. A lot of people knew her as Anele, it was her childhood nick name. She then realized that she had to be at work in an hour so she got ready for work and left the house.

When she got there, some familiar faces walked into the bar. Selphie, Irvine, Zell, Squall, Quistis, Sefier, and Squall walked in and found a table. She walked up and kept her cool about everything.

"Could I get the strongest shot you have?" Zell asked.

Anele nodded and scribbled it down onto her pad of paper. Everyone else ordered and Zell jumped up to go somewhere. Squall grabbed the collar to his shirt and pulled him down to eye level.

"And where do you think you're going?"

"I was gonna go play the card game... please?"

Squall let go of him and waved him off to leave to go play the card game, something of which he always lost at. They really didn't recognize Rinoa because she had changed so much. Mostly the clothing and the length of her hair, which was just below her butt. At the moment, it was pulled back into a ponytail and her highlights fell into her face.

"She looks so familiar," Selphie mentioned.

"Like Rinoa?" Quistis whispered hoping that Squall didn't hear her.

He missed Rinoa, but he wouldn't admit to it, he only left the room when she was mentioned. Or if there was something that he found that reminded him of her, he would have it hidden from plane sight. Everyone knew it was eating him alive. All they knew was that she had left a note saying that she had gotten bored with the Garden and left. They don't if she's well or she's hurt, there wasn't any sign that she was still alive.

"Here, Zell," Anele said handing him his shot glass of what he ordered.

"Thanks... how did you know my name?" Zell asked.

"Over at your table they were talking about you, mostly your fighting skills. They were commenting on your fighting skills, all the comments were good though," she babbled.

"Oh," he said not really believing her but he brushed it off.

Nothing had changed about any of them. They were still the same people she left behind two years ago. She just wished that she could come forth with her confession to tell them that she had been here at the bar the whole time. Each time she was about to tell them someone said something and she was saved for the moment or she'd walked away saying it must have not been that important if she forgot it. While she was wiping down the bar counter another SeeD soldier from the Garden ran in.

"Commander Squall," the young SeeD said and saluted him.

Squall rose and saluted him and then fell to his seat.

"At ease, what's going on?" he asked.

"The Garden is under attack!" he whispered dangerously low because their waiter was approaching them.

"Zell Dincht get over here!" Squall snapped.

Zell flew over there knowing that voice too well.

"Is there anything that we need to know?" Squalled asked calmly.

"Not really, Headmaster Cid said to put your butts in gear and get there that's all."

Anele threw off her apron, most of the other customers flinched. Because they have seen her fight when some of the drunks thought the owned the place or when they started to play touchy feely with her.

"Everyone leave this place but the people from the Garden... NOW!" she screamed.

All the drunks and the card players scrambled out of the bar. Anele pulled up a chair and turned it around then sat down in it.

"Now please continue," she said softly.

"I can't," he said.

"Why not?" she demanded.

"Because you're not from the Garden," the SeeD member back fired.

Everyone but Squall nodded. Rinoa whistled and Angelo came through the bars entrance door.

"What? Angelo? How did you get Angelo?" Irvine asked. "Angelo's owner is Rinoa and your name tag says you're Anele."

"My childhood nickname, Irvine, I'm Rinoa. Aren't I?" Rinoa asked Angelo she barked in response.

Squall knew it was her, there was no denying the fact that she was.

"Continue, she is a SeeD," Squall said.

"First off, everything is chaos. Please come back to the Garden."

Squall nodded and rose from his seat along with everyone else.

"Let's go," he said and left.

Rinoa pulled off her nametag and threw on the table. She walked up to the door and flipped the open sign to close. She then locked the place up and left. She ran home while crying. Why did it hurt? Why was there so much pain inside of her? Did she really think that there would be something special between them?

Soon the pain turned into anger and hatred that she now carried on her ever so changing shoulders. She then decided that she needed to take a walk to blow off steam. A lot of steam in her case. Soldiers were running left and right crying out orders of what the commander wished them to do. Most fled scared for their lives.

"Squall is their commander. He's one of the best! Be careful," one soldier said into his radio.

Rinoa followed the young soldier back to their and slipped around looking for the commander. Or the headmaster, whichever came first. It was Galbadia's Army again.

While wondering around she came across the dormitory of the Garden. The rooms were way different from that of Balamb Garden. Two trainees or to SeeD's would bunk in the room. She found several pictures of Squall, her, Selphie, Quistis, Zell, and Irvine, some had darts holes in them and others were vandalized. Then under there pictures it read the following:

Squall Leonhart

Age: 17 20

A cadet in seed, the special combat unit of Balamb Garden Military Academy. His aloof and anti-social behavior makes him appear selfish and lacking a sense of team unity. Squall dislikes having others involved in his affairs and is best described as a lone wolf.

Rinoa Heartilly

Age: 17 20

A lively individual with the ability to touch people's hearts. open and honest with her feelings, she speaks her mind without reservation. Driven by her ambitions, she can be difficult at times.

Selphie Tilmitt

Age: 17 20

Selphie seems out of place in a Military Academy because of her innocent appearance and lighthearted personality. Her happy-go-lucky disposition and laid-back attitude tend to catch others off guard.

Quistis Trepe

Age: 18 21

A SeeD cadet at the age of 15, Quistis now instructs Squall and his companions at Balamb Garden. Contrary to her cool exterior, she occasionally has a difficult time cooping with her frustrations, and as a result can become depressed over trivial matters.

Zell Dincht

Age: 17 20

Aspiring to become like his grandfather who was once a soldier, Zell entered Garden at the of 13. Nor being one to think matters through, he is known to act on impulse rather than reasoning. At heart however, he is an honest, dedicated young man.

Irvine Kinneas

Age: 17 20

Irvine is known as the "Best shooter in Garden." His reputation for cherishing the company of women is as well known as his accuracy with a gun. Although he is sensitive and serious.

She snorted and pulled them off the wall. She left the room and went on about her mission.

"Red alert!" squalled the computer. "Intruder inside Garden!"

"What?"


End file.
